Hi Zlat, and welcome. I am sure there will be others who might be able to help with your questions. The CT will hopefully give your consultant some answers for you. As quite a few people say, not every referral ends up being a cancer diagnosis and is more likely to be something else. The fact that you were so unwell before the cough makes me wonder if it was a viral situation but I am not a doctor. Please let us know how you get on

best wishes

HM

 Thank you for your support. I am very worried and I am still 52. I know what lung cancer is. I lost my father five years ago to this disease and I have witnessed this pain. Last year I lost a close friend again to lung cancer. I don't want to go through this and cause this pain to my relatives. Is it possible that after a CT scan, the doctor can say for sure - Yes, this is cancer, and that's why I'm going for a bronchoscopy?

I just wanted to join your post as my husband had lung cancer.  The final test was the bronchoscopy which determined that it was cancer and what type, we had the results two days later so treatment could be discussed.  So really no one can determine what is wrong with you apart from those involved in your tests and the outcome which is then discussed with a team.  Please keep us up to date and I hope as you do that it's not the worst case scenario for you and your family.  Kind regards, Carol 

I had BCG injection as primary school child and still managed to test negative at secondary school age so had to have the injection over again... Immunity can also wane as people age. 

As for the bronchoscopy, it's a test used to diagnose a lot of different lung conditions – British Lung Foundation has more information about the test so that you can see it is not a cancer test specifically.

As Carol says, best not jump to any conclusions. Hoping all works out well for you and do let us know how you get on please.

Regards, Rose 

I went through the bronchoscopy three days ago and my worries are getting worse. During the procedure I was wide awake and watching the screen. When the camera reached something white at the top of the lung. Then they did brushing and washing. It was quick and I didn't feel any pain except for coughing because of the flushing fluid. After a quick recovery, I asked what we saw on the camera. What was it, what did that look like? I didn't get an answer. They just said - We won't know until the samples are tested. It crushed me and I just got more depressed. This is so long waiting for results. I'm just walking into a horror movie. And even more depression when I had a call from my work to let me know that the company will have to cut staff. So today they will be on the phone about conversation with me.Real hell. Where did I end up and what did I do to deserve all this? How should I protect myself today since there is no diagnosis? I'm just in shock.

Hi zlat, I am sorry you are going through this, test results can vary a lot in how long you wait, sometimes it can be to do with the testing proceedure. There is a section on money work any travel which might be able to help if the news is not good about your work. Very difficult to keep busy when going through the waiting. I think i was one of the lucky few and only had to wait 10 days for my results which were on Wednesday, the surgeon called me at home. Somesitmes these things can be a simple lung nodule but all things that are not supposed to be there will be tested.

all the best

HM

So the brushing and washing is what the bronchoscopy does to collect samples. There can be multiple reasons for white areas. I know waiting is hard, but whatever it is your body will fight it better if you can stay calm as possible. That's hard when work are looking to cut staff etc. (If you need advice about the work situation then ACAS are really good or there's Citizen's Advice. I've recently had to help a close relative with a work situation). Many of my relatives have had cancer/non-cancer lung issues and I myself have lung disease. It's natural to feel shock when you realise something is going on, but don't yet know what. How to deal with the waiting period? Try and eat a healthy balanced diet, keep stress to a minimum (hard in the current circumstances), avoid overly polluted or fumey environments (both indoor and outdoor) wherever possible.  

Thank you all for your support. The good news is that for now I am keeping my job and continue to be on long-term sick leave. Maybe I should start this whole story a little earlier about 6 months ago when I first visited my doctor. I had severe pain in both knees and achilles area. It was difficult for me to walk for a long time. It was already clear that I had lower back problems (sciatica). I later had an MRI of my left knee with a diagnosis of a torn meniscus and a suggestion of fluid leaking from a Baker's cyst. Yesterday I received an MRI report for the right knee-Sizable medial meniscal tear with medial extrusion. Multicellular synovial ganglion superior to the medial femoral condyle with soft tissue thickening laterally measuring 14x 20mm. Please recell for gadolinium. I made an appointment with the GP for October 7th (the first available date).
I read about the ganglions. Is it possible that I got an infection that spread and this possible lung abscess is the result? Or maybe it's metastases of cancer? I'm still waiting for the bronchoscopy results. I don't know what to think. This wait is so long and tense

Good news about the job. Yes, conditions other than cancer elsewhere in the body can cause issues in the lungs. I'm afraid no one on the forum can tell you what your bronchoscopy results are going to be. Waiting is horrible but only the results of your bronchoscopy are going to tell you what is going on in your case. Try and find ways to distract or calm yourself while waiting. Over-thinking tends to make symptoms worse. Has anyone told you how long your results are likely to be? Good luck for your other test on 7 October by the way. It seems the doctors are making progress in finding out what is causing you problems. It's a pity there is so much waiting and it must be very frustrating for you having to deal with so many things at once. Take care zlad. And I hope you are able to eat a bit better now. Being stressed won't help so do try and find some ways to relax even just some simple breathing exercises.